Dark Shadow on the Horizon
by I am the Hodgeheg
Summary: [ReiKai] Rei Kon does not exist any more. He never has and never will. There is only Firefly, criminal mastermind and Mafia confidant, leaving Kai to pick up the pieces.
1. Prologue

Hey peeps, here's a new one. Different genre this time, going for drama that will keep you on your toes. But, then again, there is that romance in there too, and yes, I did say this was my contribution to the KaRe wave, so if you don't like, don't read. Flames just because it's shounen-ai will be burned as an energy efficient fuel. Thou hast been warned.

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Dark Shadow on the Horizon

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Prologue

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His throat burned. His fingers numbed. Dirt and soot caked his body and his eyes blazed with more than fire.

Kai Hiwatari's crimson eyes burned with hatred.

Hatred from the one who did this; the one who had taken innocent lives and controlled others with cruelty and destruction.

It was never meant to be this way. It was never meant to happen. Russia should not have fallen into the hands of such people. It should not have to be held at gunpoint by a criminal organisation. Kai should not have had to stand where he did, amid the flames and the screams and the slaughter that raged around him. He should not have had to be the one to find the creature that destroyed lives so efficiently and killed without mercy.

But there was no other. No other to stop this new, terrible enemy. So Kai had to be the one to end it; the one to put an end to the hated, soulless murderer.

The hated, soulless murderer that stood on top of the building before him, silhouetted by the flames that leapt around them, faceless as they surveyed the chaos they had created.

Kai shielded his eyes against the sparks that blinded him, to gain a few precious seconds of sight in order to identify his enemy.

And in those few seconds, he saw.

His hand dropped and his eyes widened, not knowing or caring that his vision was blurring, that his skin was burning. He opened his mouth to speak, but the horror had rendered him speechless. He could have died right then, and he would have still been standing, for the realisation at the identity of his enemy had transfixed him to the spot, a statue consumed in orange fire.

-

There you go, there's your taster. Doesn't say much, I know, but the smarter individuals out there will probably have guessed the plot already. As always, tell me what you think, most importantly whether you think I should continue with this fic, 'cause if it's crap to start with, I won't bother.

Toodle-Pip!

SkySongForever (soon to be **I am the Hodgeheg**)


	2. The End

Okay, I'm going for shorter chapters with more of them. Plus, that way, I can do lots of lovely cliffhangers for you! This is how it all happened, how we get to what happened in the prologue. That means that the prologue is in the FUTURE – it hasn't already been and gone.

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Dark Shadow on the Horizon

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**Chapter 1 **– The End

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"Hey! Rei, that's so cheating!"

Rei chuckled under his breath as he took a short cut between the rocks. Technically, it was cheating but it made hardly any difference to the outcome of the race. This shortcut was easier than climbing the rock face on the west of the mountain, but it was longer. The time taken to complete each was almost exactly the same, unless you were Kevin, who could climb like a monkey but couldn't run for toffee. Poor little stumpy legs.

The day was fine, with hardly a cloud in the sky above the peaceful valleys and mountains of China. Rei was enjoying a hillside romp with his friends in form of a race – and he was winning. He sprinted in large bounds up the slope, but paused. A piece of paper had fallen out of his pocket.

Walking slowly back, he picked it up with a kind of religious reverence and, as if in a trance, unfolded it.

He smiled as he read the contents for what must have been the hundredth time.

_Rei,_

_The sun dawns upon my last letter to you in some time, for I must attend business matters far from home. I do not know how long it will be before I may write again._

_It seems so long since we were face to face. Two years since the team disbanded. Too long._

_Winter has descended upon Russia. Already I miss the Japanese autumn and its red-gold leaves. You can no longer see the mountains for snowstorms._

_Don't bother asking me what the business matters are about – you would most definitely find them extremely boring. You're not the only one. However, there is another pressing matter, connected to business._

_My grandfather, Voltaire (remember him?), has been hounding me about marriage. Tell me, how did you manage to escape your betrothal to Mariah? The information would be most helpful. The 'lady' he's most hopeful for has a nose that sticks up like a pig and has a voice that reminds me inexplicably like Tyson, the stuff of nightmares that it may be._

_Until next time, far in the future,_

_Yours,_

_Kai Hiwatari_

Rei's reminiscent smile turned to a frown as he reread the last paragraph. Kai and marriage didn't seem to fit together in any sentence, except: 'Kai was against the marriage' but that still didn't fit either. Kai had a bachelor air about him, one that was not dislodged easily.

He sighed as his eyes alighted on one paragraph. Kai was right. It had been too long. He hardly did any serious blading these days anyway. At seventeen, Rei was required to exercise his leadership abilities and help run the village. This was, of course, one of the most boring things he had ever had to do, and he longed to see his team-mates once again. But that wasn't possible. The Bladebreakers had split and the members went their separate ways. Max was deeply involved in lab work with his mother, Tyson had taken up a place as a beyblading coach with some kendo training on the side, Kai had returned to Russia to sort out 'family matters', and Rei was stuck in China with nowhere else to go.

Stuck in China, further away from Kai than he had ever been in years.

Because Rei missed Kai more than he would ever let on. He missed his crimson stare, his slate grey hair that swept across his eyes. He missed the silhouette, the tall lean figure with the distinctive scarf flying out behind. He missed his will to succeed, the will to make it through whatever was thrown at him, no matter how many times he had to get up from a fall. He missed his lack of social life and the way that meant that he was always there when you needed him. He missed the sound of his voice, the way he chose his words carefully, not wasting a single syllable. He missed his smile, the small smile that only Rei ever saw. He missed Kai for a very simple reason

Rei was in love with him.

It had built up over the years, respect becoming friendship, friendship becoming love. He had learned to love everything about his cold-hearted team-mate, the way he preferred silence to speech, actions to debate. It didn't matter that Kai might not love him back. It wasn't an option.

Years of exposure to Rei had meant that Kai had no choice but to let him in. To stand in the doorway perhaps, but enough to let him glimpse the person inside.

Rei looked up sharply as he heard an unfamiliar guttering sound, followed by a blast of wind that nearly flattened him to the floor. The sight that met his eyes was a black helicopter, coming in to land next to him. Transfixed, he watched as two men got out and walked over to him.

"Rei Kon?" one asked.

Rei nodded, watching them with wary interest.

"Good."

Rei felt a sharp pain in the back of the head, before falling into blackness as unconsciousness claimed him.

-

I named this chapter 'The End' because it signifies the end of Rei's life as he knows it. Very exciting!

Kai will appear next chapter – I might alternate points of view, I'll have to see.

Big kiss, I love all my reviewers (hint hint).

**I am the Hodgeheg**


	3. Lost Communications

Hello, good day and all that rubbish. Sorry I didn't update earlier, but a while ago I hit a sleeping policeman and writing went out of the window.

**Chapter 2** – Lost Communications

"Hello? Earth to Kai? You in there?"

Kai contemplated mustering the strength to open his eyes, but then decided it wasn't worth it.

"Oh my God! His shields are down! Hull breach imminent! WE'VE LOST HIM!"

He grudgingly cracked open one eye, peering in humourless disinterest at the redhead next to him.

"Tala, you _retard._"

The said retard looked smug. "I try my best," he said, fluttering his eyelashes, whilst Kai just snorted, turning his attention to the sleet soaked streets outside of the car window.

"You won't be so happy once we get there; then you'll realise just how boring this stuff is."

"Yeah, but you've got your own special pick-me-up for all those horrendous times when you want to die just so that you've got peace and quiet in your grave." Tala smirked at his bewildered expression. "Don't try the innocent act with me, I've seen it. You take it out and look at it whenever you think no one's looking. Every time I see you lurking in a dark corner, your last letter from Rei is in front of your nose."

Kai ignored him, pretending that watching the water-logged pedestrians outside was much more riveting than any kind of stimulating conversation his companion offered.

Tala's grin faded. "You miss him, don't you?"

Realising that Kai had drifted into a different world, he gave up his futile attempts at conversation and turned his attention to the Sudoku puzzle on the back page of his newspaper.

Kai, meanwhile, was strapped tightly in on a trip of realisation that Tala's words were true. He did miss Rei, especially on days like this. He wondered what Rei was doing now, incarcerated in that hellhole of a village. Rei had always wanted to see the world and do new things, he never should have had to return to the same old boring place that he was brought up in. Saying this, Kai was doing exactly the same thing. He was returning to the same old boring streets of Moscow, with the same old boring family matters to attend to.

God was it boring.

Of course, this trip would be more interesting than usual. Tala had decamped from St. Petersburg to travel with him, and doubtless the little minx would try and get him out to every single nightclub within ten miles of the house. But there were more important things to think about. The presidency was waning, and a change in political power was near. Much more important things to think about…

Like Rei.

Kai shook his head to chase that thought away, then turned his attention on the redhead that was smiling innocently.

"I'm going shopping tomorrow," he beamed at Kai, oblivious to the scarlet eyes that rolled in his direction. "If you're very good, I might purchase you something, but if you insist on dragging me to some meeting, then I shall be entirely selfish."

Kai snickered inwardly as he remembered Rei's reaction when he told him that Tala's favourite pasttime was shopping. He was even more amused when the next time he saw Rei, he was laden down with innumerable shopping bags. It didn't take many lessons to learn that one should never go shopping with Tala; you'd end up carrying all of it.

Of course, Kai was now much more inclined to spare him the agony of a turgid meeting, as the gifts he purchased for his friends were usually extravagent and well thought out. Definitely the reward he'd need after an eye-wateringly boring report on the stock market. Tala being Tala, he'd probably picked up on the hints Kai kept dropping about how he needed new winter boots.

As the driver slowed down at the traffic lights, Kai's attention wandered, something that had been happening a lot of late.

It wandered to memories of long black hair and a smile that made fan girls faint.

However, this time was different. Instead of mentally scolding himself, Kai sank into the pool of reminiscence without a care in the world. He hoped Rei was in a better place than these streets, endless grey from the icy rain and snow.

Haha! Another titchy chappie done! I love this one, 'cause we all know how Kai feels, but he's utterly oblivious! Don't you just wanna hold him close and declare him yours?

I love all my reviewers because this time they are…My Little Flower Fairies!

Toodles!


	4. Broken

WARNING! I CRIED AFTER WRITING THIS CHAPTER! IT'S VERY, VERY SAD AND I RECOMMEND A BOX OF TISSUES JUST IN CASE!

**Chapter 3** - Broken

What Kai didn't know was that Rei wasn't somewhere better. He was somewhere much, much worse. He was trapped inside his own head with his deepest fears and worst nightmares.

Doctor. What a strange name for the man that was causing Rei more pain he had ever felt before.

Doctor Stone ran his fingers over the Biovolt logo on the back of his clipboard as he pondered the matter of his charge. The boy had put up a substantial fight, aided by his cat-like abilities.

The abilities that made him so irresistible.

Biovolt was on the rise again, but this time they were doing something different. Instead of setting out to conquer the world of a children's sport, they set their sights higher. Under the new management of Boris Balkov, the plan to push Russia into political turmoil was set to go. Civil war would follow, and with a specially trained force of cybernetically enhanced soldiers Biovolt would stake claim over the country, enforcing military rule nationwide.

But every army needed a Commander.

This Commander would need to be able to direct forces adequately when on the battlefield themselves. They would have to withstand everything a combat situation would throw at them. Most of all, they would have to be at the peak of physical and mental perfection – a cut above the rest even without the cybernetic implants. Candidate after candidate had fallen at numerous hurdles, until a junior scientist hit on the Idea. The Idea that had worked to a point in the past, almost ensured them victory. Now technology would nullify that risk of failure.

Now all they needed to do was break him.

Break him so that he couldn't be fixed.

Ever.

Rei stood still in the corridor, empty for but one other. One that was walking away forever.

"Kai! Don't go! Please!"

His veins surged with hope as the retreating figure stopped and turned. However, that hope was dashed against the rocks as he saw the sneer that curled Kai's lips.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because you can't! You're a part of our lives, you can't leave us! You can't leave me!"

A slight pause before: "Too late."

"Because I love you!"

Kai looked at him properly then, and that flicker of hope started to blaze again, growing in size as he walked back towards him and looked straight into Rei's amber eyes.

"Love is weak."

Hope died in its lover's arms with just three words.

"You are weak if you believe that three little _pathetic_ words will sway me. You have now but strengthened my opinion of you. You are a weak and insignificant child that means nothing to anybody, especially me."

Rei felt his heart break as the tears ran freely down his cheeks. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much his soul was tearing itself apart in anguish, he could not look away from the smouldering crimson eyes.

"But…"

Kai's hand came up faster than Rei had ever seen, and the walls resounded with the crack from the backhand he was dealt. He collapsed to the floor without resistance and lay there unmoving, his body wracked by silent sobs. He was dimly aware of the footsteps fading into the distance and descended into the well of black that beckoned, sanctuary from the horror of reality.

It was never meant to be this way. He had thought that Kai would never hurt him. But he had, and Rei felt his world fall into pieces as the quiet claimed him. Cool, comforting, raging quiet.

Isn't it awful? The good news is that Rei's experience wasn't real, it was just a scene engineered by the Biovolt scientists to break his spirit. The bad news is that Rei still thinks it's real, like a memory.

I love all my reviewers because today they are…My FluffyBunnyKins!


	5. The Empty Child

Did anyone else cry during the last chapter? Or am I the only one? It might have helped that I was listening to Coldplay at the time…

This chapter is dedicated to **Baby Sweet** for reviewing mere minutes after I updated last time. How's that for enthusiasm?

Now, I'm sorry, but I am going on my holidays for two weeks and thus will not be able to update. Camping trips mean no plug sockets, and no plug sockets mean no computer. Expect me back after the 20th.

**Chapter 4** – The Empty Child

Doctor Stone noted the fluctuations in Rei's mental activity and made a call to his superior.

The boy was broken.

This, in itself, was a very simple label. In technical terms, it meant that he had given up, had forsaken all the things that gave him strength before, and that meant that he would latch onto the first thing that offered support and structure. Biovolt would be there to hold his hand.

Doctor Stone hesitated for a moment, before reaching for the button on the intercom.

"Mr Chekovski? Yes, expect the new arrival in your lessons in two days. In the meantime, we will test his limits."

-

Rei awoke in a clean white room, the scent of flowers filling his nostrils. The sunlight poured in through the windows as he sat up and looked about. He was alone in the rows of beds lining the ward, but for a woman sitting in the chair next to his bed, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you all right?" she asked, subconsciously rearranging the lilies on the bedside table. "You've been sleeping for hours – I wasn't sure when you'd wake up."

Rei looked around before replying. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Biovolt Compound in Moscow city centre. This is the Infirmary, and I'm Sister Anita. Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm okay."

Rei swung his legs out of bed and stood up, looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. He deduced that he must be in a skyscraper, some thirty floors up, surrounded by other buildings of varying size. Gazing out at what must have been Moscow's central business district, he suddenly became aware of Sister Anita's presence by his side.

"The Director would like to see you, if you're up to it."

"Okay." He felt her press a pile of neatly folded clothes into his hands.

"Get changed then," she said, pulling the screens around his bed. "When you're ready, I'll take you to him."

Rei dawdled as he undid the buttons on his white pyjamas, mulling over his position. He was in a Biovolt controlled building, and he didn't know how he got there. All he could remember was Kai. Kai calling him weak, Kai's hand coming up to meet him, lying on the floor as Kai walked away.

"Are you all right in there, Rei?"

"Yes!" he called as he pulled on the T-shirt. The boots looked of military descent, and he hurried to tie the laces. When he pulled the curtain aside, he was met by the smiling face of Sister Anita.

"Come on then!" she beamed, leading him down the corridor and into a lift (that's an elevator in Americaspeak). "Here's a hairbrush – we want you to look your best, don't we?"

It was then that Rei noticed that his hair was loose – and rather tangled at that. He dragged the brush through it as floor after floor whizzed by. The lift was glass, affixed to the side of the building, and he watched the smaller buildings fall away as the glass bubble rose higher and higher. The weather wasn't up to much; sleet was blown almost horizontal by the tearing winds, the half-melted snow spattering over the windows.

The doors pinged open at floor fifty-seven and Sister Anita strode out, Rei at her heels. She stopped in front of some official looking doors and turned to him, straightening his collar in a businesslike way.

"I'll be waiting for you when you come out, now hurry along. There's no need to be scared, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Rei pushed open the door hesitantly, unused to being treated as though he was a five year old private schoolboy. Thus, he was definitely unready for the sight that met his eyes.

"Boris?"

The man sitting behind the desk smiled a benign smile, and gestured to one of the seats in front of him.

"Sit down, Rei. I've been expecting you."

Rei sat, hands in lap, hair drawn over his shoulder so as not to sit on it. Boris offered him a tin box with a smile.

"Gingerbread man?"

Rei stared at the proffered tin for a moment before taking one.

"Um, thanks…"

Boris flashed him a disarming smile, saying in a sugar-sweet voice, "I trust your stay has been to your liking, Rei? Sister Anita speaks the best English and Japanese out of all of the nurses, so I thought it best that she be your guide to start off with. What do you think so far?"

"It's hard to have an opinion when I don't know what's going on. For all I know, this could be a dirty trick."

"You really don't remember, do you?" Boris had rehearsed this conversation down to perfection, and his acting was flawless.

Rei was thrown off balance. "What do you mean? Remember what?"

"I'll start from the beginning. Tipped off by a contact, we became aware that you were struggling with your monotonous life constrained in your home village. You ran away again, seeking out the fellow members of the Bladebreakers. The only one you could find was Kai, and you travelled here to meet him. However, he was less than happy to see you, and sought to escape. When he tried to leave, you argued…and that was when we found you, wandering the streets of Moscow."

Rei sat back and let this information sink in. It was true, he didn't remember any of it, apart from the argument with Kai. He closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to well up again at the memory.

"You have nowhere to go now," concluded Boris. "You can't go back to your village for risk of being named a coward and your friends have forsaken you. I asked that you come to talk to me so that I could give you an offer. You could stay here, with Biovolt, and start a new life."

Rei looked up in apprehension. "And this would involve…?"

Boris shrugged. "A proper education, particularly teaching you the Russian language, physical training, information technology improvement… All you would need to function as a higher member of Russian society. This…academy of sorts would help you to gain an important position in a high ranking job. We could secure your position as a politician perhaps, or any other well-recognised profession. There are lots of other children that study here, mainly orphans, and our efforts to improve their lives seem to have worked, giving structure and support. So what do you say, Rei? Go back to wandering aimlessly, or join us and have a purpose?"

--

Oooh! What will Rei say? Will he take the offer, or throw it back into Boris' ugly face? If you're very clever, you'll work that out on your own…

And take care to remember that the tale Boris spun is complete and utter fiction, designed to get Rei on his side and convince him that Biovolt is not that power hungry company that we all know it is.

I'd also like to congratulate **caberwolf** for figuring it out. I'm never really sure whether people get who it is in the prologue. Of course he'll have a better outfit! Sexy and dark, remember!

I love all my reviewers because this week they are…My Little Rays of Sunshine!


	6. Prodigy Boy

I'm sorry! I just couldn't resist giving you another parting gift before I go!

I hereby dedicate this chapter to **knightkitten** for giving such wonderful advice. You have really helped me out, and I am forever in your debt. Mayhap I'll check out your cliché bad-guy fic.

**Chapter 5 **– Prodigy Boy

"I'll do it."

Boris smiled in triumph. "Good boy. You made the right decision, Rei. Now, run along back to Sister Anita. There's a few things to sort out before you can mingle with the other boys and girls."

Rei left, and sure enough, Sister Anita was waiting for him, an expectant look on her face.

"Well?" she asked worriedly. "Are you staying?" At his nod, her face split into a smile. "That's wonderful! Come this way, there are so many things to do!"

-

Rei stood restlessly, waiting for the door to open. The next in a long line of tests was a simple obstacle course, one that he was eager to get finished so that he could have something to eat. The previous exercises had been easy – mere tests of strength and dexterity. This might actually be a challenge.

He fiddled with the hem of his new shirt, rubbing the unworn fabric between his fingers as he waited impatiently for the starting beeps. Sister Anita had taken him to be fitted with his uniform first, and the primarily black clothes were practical (many pockets, particularly on the inside) and free-moving as well as stylish (or so _he_ thought). Black trousers tucked into his black boots, and his black T-shirt was covered by a black knee-length coat. The only bits of colour were his plain red headband, his red fingerless gloves and the scarlet bootlaces Sister Anita had somehow produced from behind her apron.

The beeps sounded, and on the third, the door burst open. Rei raced through, diving between the first set of pipes, rolling as he landed under the next. He used a barrel as a jump point over the wire-topped wall and landed cleanly on the other side. He scaled a drainpipe easily and jumped across chasms in a rooftops construction, jumping to a lamp post. He took a mere nanosecond to calculate the jump to the railings and estimated it perfectly, running along the narrow fence in three strides, cartwheeling one-handed off the end. He ran to the end of the alley and straddle jumped over the two metre high chain link fence at the end. He burst through the doors and stood still as the scientists stared at his time.

"One minute, four point nine seconds." (1m 4.9s, just in case you, like I, have trouble visualising that number)

The head scientist, Doctor James came over to speak to him, still scribbling on his clipboard. Rei had, by this time, regained his breath and looked at him inquisitively.

"Well done, Rei," said the doctor, making a final note. "You've beaten the best non-cybernetically enhanced time by just under thirty seconds. You should feel proud of yourself, had you shaved another seven seconds off, you'd have got the best time for cybernetics as well."

"Who has the best cybernetics time?" asked Rei, curious to know who he was up against.

"Tala Ivanov," replied the doctor evenly. "Brilliant child, shame he's not here now. Anyway, I think that concludes our physical tests. You can go have some lunch, prodigy boy."

As he exited the test area, he caught sight of Sister Anita, but this time she had company.

"Rei? This is John, he'll take you to lunch with the others. Now remember," she said, turning to the boy, "You've got to take him to see Doctor Harris at the end of the lunch hour."

"I'll remember," replied John, smiling at Rei.

John was tall, and towered over both him and Sister Anita by at least six inches. He had big blue eyes that were almost hidden from view by his moss green bangs and an absent-minded smile. Rei took a liking to him instantly.

Sister Anita looked anxiously at the clock on the wall, and started hurrying back down the hall, saying as she went, "I'll pick you up later, Rei!"

John smiled that sleepy smile at him, and beckoned in the opposite direction to Anita. "Follow me."

Rei followed John down the corridor, keeping close to his heels; he knew how easy it was to get lost in the huge building. To his surprise, John walked straight past the lift and headed towards the stairs.

"Students aren't allowed to use the lifts," he explained, starting the twenty floor descent. "Climbing up and down these stairs is supposed to keep us fit. It also means we don't get so many bottlenecks with us all in the corridors."

Rei had a bit of trouble keeping up with him, as he seemed to have perfected his three-stair-at-a-time run down the stairs. After three flights of John having to wait for him at the bottom, Rei thought the matter a waste of time and merely jumped the flights completely and landed cat-like on the floor. This earned him a pair of wide, awed eyes.

"What?" he asked, stopping to look at John.

"It's just…" He shook his head, looking at Rei in wonder. "Now I know there's some truth behind the rumours…"

Rei cocked his head. "What rumours?"

He looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Someone was running an errand for the scientists in lab two, and they saw you come out of one of the tests. No one would believe him when he told us your time, but now I'm starting to trust him. The test was the one where you had to break through the ten boards to get to the finish, with the boards getting thicker each time?" Rei nodded. The test of strength had been simple and easy. "Well, he said you went through them like a hot knife through butter, apart from the last one where you jump kicked it through. He said the splinters sprayed across the window inches from his face."

Rei vaguely remembered a pair of wide eyes on the other side of the glass, but had been too intent on finishing to care. He looked at the ground, avoiding John's eyes. John clearly picked up on his discomfort, and changed the subject rapidly.

"So, the canteen food isn't too shabby, but you should definitely stay away from the sausages. We've been testing them for years, but we've never come to a complete conclusion as to what meat they're actually made of."

Rei grinned. "Who is this 'they' that you speak of?"

"Just me and the guys. No gals in this country, we're all separated. Something about different capabilities. Don't get me wrong, it's not as though the girls can't hit as hard, 'cause they bloody well can, but the doctors all say that the feminine mind is better tuned to demolitions and infiltration. Some mumbo-jumbo about how their fingers can handle the more fiddly tasks. The other guys should be okay with you, just as long as you don't scare them into hiding because you're some kind of god. Remember, if anyone gives you hassle, don't let 'em get to you. If you do, they'll walk all over you. Show some spine and sock the leader in the nose."

Rei laughed. "I'll take heed."

--

TeeHee! Anita has a magic apron! Wish I did…

I love all my reviewers because today they are…My Mini Angels of Darkness! (to please evildictionaryninja)

Until next time!


	7. Mixed Reactions

Hello, hello, hello. I'm sorry for saying I'd be back after the 20th, but I felt that I was neglecting one of my other stories and HAD to update it. But now, I'm here again, with another instalment.

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Chapter 6 – Mixed Reactions

-

John walked confidently through the doors to the bustling canteen, leading Rei towards the food hatches. They both received a tray of dubious edibility, before John headed straight for an occupied table.

"Hi guys," he greeted as they got closer. "Shove up and make space, today we've got n extra. This is Rei, he's new."

As the boys at the table obediently shifted up to make space, Rei noticed that there were some decidedly mixed reactions to his presence. Some looked at him with respect, others with open-mouthed wonder, whilst some kept their eyes on their plates. None dared speak. Thankfully, John didn't seem to mind.

"Forgive me for being so blunt," began John, pointing at him with a fork laden with noodles, "but the first thing that struck me about you was how long your hair is! Doesn't it get in your way?"

Rei looked down at the table, fighting the blush that was threatening to creep up onto his cheeks. The truth was, he never wore his hair down like this. He never liked the looks he was given when he did. In fact, the only person outside his village who had seen him with it down was…Kai…

The little voice in John's head sensed Rei's awkwardness and told him to backtrack fast. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just-"

"No! You didn't offend me. I normally tie it up."

John's eyebrows came together in a frown. "You shouldn't. It's a distinguishing feature; it summarises everything we know about you already and everything we don't. It makes you mysterious. And, Mr Mysterious, we want to know a little bit about you."

"Like what?"

"Like where you were born, where you were picked up, how old you are, that kind of thing."

"Well…" Rei thought for a moment. "I was born in China, picked up in Moscow, sixteen years old, um…"

"Chinese?" interrupted John. "We've seen a couple of Chinese people here, but none of them look like you. You've got some psychedelic eyes there."

"I'm part of an uncharted race – neko-jins. We have feline traits like the eyes and fangs."

A swift glance along the table showed dozens of wide eyes. John merely looked interested.

"I bet you're really agile," he said, leaning forward in his seat. "Do you always land on your feet too?"

Rei laughed. "I like people to think that, but reality tends to complicate matters."

"A good answer," replied John, starting on his chocolate mousse. "I like people who are truthful, even when the truth doesn't put them in good light. Aren't you going to eat your sticky toffee pudding?"

"I don't like sweet things."

John reeled back as if Rei had shot him. "Not like sweet things? How? Why? Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I'd rather have that spring roll you've left on your plate."

John threw it to him. "Knock yourself out. I hate the things, personally. Can I have your pudding, then?"

"Ditto."

He had barely started on his pudding before a bell rang, and everyone began to move. He pulled Rei out of his seat and hurried to the exit, elbowing protesting people out of the way.

"We've got to be quick, I'm meant to drop you off at lab seven before I get to my music class, and that's twenty-four floors away!"

"Why don't I go on my own so you're not late?" asked Rei, dodging around a clump of much younger boys.

"You sure?" John looked torn between doing what he was supposed to and avoiding punishment for lateness.

"Yeah, you go on. Which floor?" Rei felt like smiling just from the look of relief that washed across John's face.

"Floor forty-six. It's the lab on the left – the one with the big seven on it."

John was borne away by ever-moving crowd, but Rei stood and watched his waving hand until it disappeared. He fought his way through the crowd to the stairs and was immediately caught up in the throng going up. Thankfully they all branched off within three floors, leaving Rei to bound up the stairs seven at a time, the silence allowing him to finally think clearly about certain thoughts he'd been having about John all through lunch.

--

The end…for now, at least. OH! Random Thought: John was originally a temporary name I gave him because I couldn't think of a better one, but now I think that it suits him. What do you think? Give him a cooler name, or stay as fluffy, lovely John?

I love all my reviewers because this week they are…Mine. Just mine.


	8. Astonished

--

Chapter 7 - Astonished

--

Having spent three months in the Biovolt compound and been subject to a condensed crash course, Rei's Russian was usable, if not fluent. This meant that he could hear all the rumours and little things people said about him, whether they were teacher or student.

"_There's that guy again, I see him everywhere with John. Did you see that picture he painted on Monday? He said it took him three hours – it was amazing. Can you guess what he painted?"_

"_I sometimes partner him for PE, but I just can't keep up. He's so fast."_

"_I saw him down in the gymnasium with some of the girls; he could do more on the bars than they could!"_

"_What is he anyway? He's part animal, I swear. When he had that argument with Erin last week, his eyes went all funny, the pupils slitting like a cat."_

It was all Rei could do to sigh and put it behind him, the subject they were discussing boring him to tears. The painting in question wasn't that good, more like a rough sketch in watercolour, and John was the only one who would sit still enough for him to paint. The gym was where he went to cool off, and while he could do more strenuous moves than the girls, they had taught him much more than he them. He much preferred the beam anyway, wearing a blindfold to improve his balance. If only the gossipers really knew what they were talking about. Speculation was fact. Erin had cowered like a girl when he saw Rei's eyes, a small satisfaction next to winning the argument.

He stirred his soup with his spoon miserably, wondering whether John was ever going to make it out of detention by the end of lunch.

"Hey, Rei!"

Rei looked up and smiled. "Speak of the Devil and He appears."

John collapsed on the seat next to him. "The Devil? That's a new one. Today I was called scoundrel, ragamuffin and lazy oaf in a single hour, but I've never heard 'Devil' before."

"Maybe you should hear it more often, I think Mr Eldarn is ready to skin you and wear your hide as a cape. What did you do this time?"

"Same old, same old," replied John, peeling a banana. "It's all your fault – you were the one who made me stay up most of the night doing that History paper. I fell asleep in the middle of the Revolution. The last thing I remember was the Tsar being a bastard, and then suddenly they were all dead and Sir was asking me which members of the Royal family lived in the winter palace."

Rei smiled and pinched one of his chips. "And which members lived in the winter palace? Or were you sent out of the room before you could find out?"

"The latter, I'm afraid. My life will never be fulfilled because I missed an hour of our country's history. And stop eating my chips, they're mine."

"And they're very good, too."

-

"What do you think, Kai? The red or the blue?"

"The blue."

"Kaaaaaaaaiiiiiiii, you didn't even look!"

Kai licked his thumb and turned the page of his newspaper. "No, I didn't. It doesn't take a set of genii to figure out that you should never wear red on account of the fact that it clashes with your hair. Clearly, it only takes one."

Tala pouted, but when this failed to get his friend's attention, he gave up and confiscated the newspaper, sitting on the unfortunate friend's lap.

"Kai, something's wrong. Your humour gets darker everyday, you're forever reading that blasted newspaper and I see your last letter from Rei at least five times per hour. Something's up, and I will not get off you lap until you tell me what."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Tala, get off."

"Shall not. Not until you tell me."

"Look, it doesn't matter-"

"Aha! So there is something! And it does matter. Tell."

"Tala, drop it."

"I won't, not until you tell."

"It's nothing!"

"Yes it is! I haven't seen you like this since the Bladebreakers broke up! It-"

"Tala, stop it!"

"No! It's important to you, so it's important to me!"

"ALL RIGHT!!!" Kai stood up, Tala toppling off his lap. "I'm stressed because I haven't heard from Rei in months, I don't know where he is, no one in his village knows where he is, they say he just disappeared one day, I'm scared because I can't stop thinking about him, AND I MISS HIM LIKE HELL! _ARE YOU_ _HAPPY?!?!?!?"_

Tala was left on the floor, completely astonished, as Kai stormed out of the room, newspaper forgotten on the floor.

--

Oooooooooooh! Revelations! Are _you_ happy?

I love all my reviewers because today they are The Angels Of My Heart And Soul (feeling a bit Gospel today).

Bow down and worship.


	9. The Truth

-

Chapter 8 – The _truth_

-

"Rei? Mr Balkov will see you now."

"Okay." Rei stood up and went through the door, smiling at the secretary. He'd been taken out of Literature to have a special meeting with Boris, and he was most definitely pleased with it. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was entering a very slow period in which nothing much happened, and listening to his teacher drone on about it for two hours was past his control.

Boris motioned to a seat as he entered, the tin of gingerbread men open on his desk. Rei took one and settled back in his chair, waiting for him to speak.

"You asked to see me, _sir_?"

Boris smiled at him over the bitten-off head of his own gingerbread man. "Yes, I was hoping you weren't too engrossed in your lessons to see me."

"Not much chance of that happening," muttered Rei, biting off his biscuit's arm. Boris chuckled.

"I thought as much. However, I called you here to talk about something that's possibly even more boring – politics."

In contradiction to this assumption, Rei sat forward in his seat and replied, "Has this got something to do with death of Chairman Dolyev last week?"

The grin on Boris' face was almost predatory. "Such a sharp mind. Yes, indeed, it is about his death, but I seek to dispel some of the untruths about the manner."

"What do you mean, the manner of his death? He was on the brink of a mental breakdown and threw himself off a hotel balcony – what is there to dispel?"

"I'm afraid that Dolyev was not mentally unstable, and he did not commit suicide." Boris looked at him with darkened eyes. "I think it's time to tell you the real reason behind this academy. We are training you all to make Russia a better place, to change the future for the better. The current government spouts propaganda, and is steering the country back to communism. This will lead to mass poverty and revolution and will drag other countries into the mess created. America, particularly, will want to 'set things right' and will impose military forces upon us and install a version of democracy that will deteriorate within half a century. Our aim is to stop this."

"I had a feeling something like this was going on," said Rei, eating the gum-drop buttons. "With unorthodox things like 'etiquette' on our timetable, I knew you were preparing us for some other purpose. What I don't get is all the physical training we go through – martial arts, gymnastics, athletics and suchlike. What are they for, and should I dread the answer?"

Boris laughed. "If you are the person I think you are, you have no reason to dread it. The truth is, we tried all non-violent methods – politicians, appeals, campaigns – but they failed. This is our last resort: to use military action to overthrow the controllers of this country and turn the population to support our cause."

"And then?"

"Elect a new senate to govern the country. Get rid of the communistic fascists and start all over again."

Rei's smile was wry. "This is all very touching, but it does seem a little too good to be true. How do I know this isn't a joke and John isn't going to jump out and shout, 'Psyche!'"

Boris smirked behind the last arm. "Because John was told yesterday and is currently thirty floors below us, training with the others."

Rei's grin suddenly became almost feral. "Well then, I'd better get down there and join him."

--

Short, I know. But it's at least _something_ to throw to the ravenous wolves. People keep asking me to make the chapters longer, but I'm pleased by the way it shows progress, and that it's fast paced. I'll slow down later, but right now I want it fast enough that you know what's going on without it being boring, 'cause some of all that politics and underlying story is frankly snore-worthy.

I love all my reviewers because today they are My Little Boxes of Chocolate, you never know which one you're going to get.


	10. The Second Breaking

-

Chapter 9 – The Second Breaking

-

Having now been accepted as a 'soldier', Rei was pulled out of normal lessons and was given a condensed timetable that comprised of Russian language courses, etiquette and deportment, and physical studies.

Etiquette and deportment covered everything from which fork to use with which course (when in doubt, start on the outside and work inwards) to how to address a senior official. The instructor took great delight in labouring Rei over his accent, declaring it 'common' and 'ill-bred', but, other than that, he didn't find it hard. Most of it was just plain politeness and if uncertain, call everybody sir.

Rei liked some of his language classes. Now that he could speak it to a convincing degree, his teachers worked on giving him and the other foreign students – _soldiers_ – a more native edge. Most interesting was the lesson that they all learned to swear at each other in. Harder to remember was the slang for all the regional urban dialects. He could remember how to address the senior members of an aristocratic family in three languages, but he could not for the life of him recite all the backstreet names for heroin.

But now was not the time to be thinking about how low you should bow to a foreign minister, because a wandering mind meant an imminent meeting with the very hard floor.

Rei ducked around Erik's too-slow punch and rammed his elbow into his ribcage. Erik gave a slight 'oof', before rolling to the floor and attempting to kick his opponent's legs from under him. Rei saw this nanoseconds before the kick connected, and somersaulted backwards over him, stopping with his hand on the back of his neck.

"I concede," muttered Erik, bowing his head. Clapping was heard from the other side of the classroom.

"Well done, Rei," commended their instructor, stepping out from the sidelines. "Very good. Your reaction times keep getting better and better. Next, I'd like you to fight someone different, someone with a very dissimilar fighting style to you. Come here, John."

Everything seemed to be normal as they both took up their stances on either side of the room, but Rei could tell that there was something odd in the air. Tension on his side, calm on John's. The whistle sounded.

Rei ducked around John's first punch, rolling sideways to avoid the kick sent his way. He flipped over John's head and brought his arms together to block the double-handed punch, backflipping from the blow to regain his balance.

"Stop! _STOP!!!_"

They froze, looking back at their teacher.

"No, this is all wrong!" he shouted, storming over to them. "What is wrong with you, Rei? Why have you suddenly decided to change your fighting style?" he carried on without waiting for an answer. "What on earth possessed you to take a defensive stance? Couldn't you see that the best way to win against him was to take the offence quickly? Never, in all my years of -" His face suddenly took on a look of understanding. "Oh, I see. John, go to the room next door and tell the woman there that you want the 'Bluejay'. When you're done, come back and I'll tell you what to do."

Rei watched as John left the room, but his vision was soon impeded as a blindfold was slipped over his eyes. A voice chuckled next to his ear.

"Don't want to ruin the surprise…"

Rei sat for what seemed an age waiting for the door hinges to squeak, listening to the other students – _soldiers_, he told himself – as they sparred, fists meeting blocks. He was so absorbed in listening to the sounds their boots made on the mats that he was taken unawares when rough hands pulled him to stand in the middle of the room. The blindfold was slipped off, and then his entire vision was obscured by blue for a mere moment, before he managed to focus. And what he saw made his heart break.

Kai stood before him, _Kai_. It was just like before, the smile was the same, the terrible, sadistically cruel smile that told Rei that he really was a worthless piece of nothing that nobody could ever care about. The stance was the same, shoulder's back, hips slightly forward, feet planted apart. The walk was the same as Kai sauntered towards him. And then the hand came up from the opposite hip, just as before, and Rei's mind filled in the gaps.

He was on the floor before he even knew it, the whole right side of his face a world of pain from the backhand. He couldn't move for remembrance and shock. _ Just like before._

John looked up at the instructor in confusion. How had getting four blue triangles painted on his cheeks made Rei crumple like origami when slapped? He had done as the woman told him to, backhand him with the right hand, coming up from the left hip. Was that what made the difference? And now Rei was huddled on the training mats, fighting back sobs? Something was going on and he didn't know what.

"Take him away," ordered the instructor, motioning to two scientists that had materialised out of nowhere. "Second breaking complete."

John watched in confusion as the scientists carried the now unconscious Rei out of the training room. "What was all that about?"

"Rei is too trusting," replied the instructor, heaving a sigh. "He has so much potential, but he won't use it. You are his friend, he couldn't find it in himself to fight you. we had to help find it for him, by breaking his spirit."

"But you can't do that! He won't be Rei anymore!"

"Exactly."

---

You like? Sorry for the wait, but exams are pooful.

I love all my reviewers because today they are…My Little Lamb Chops. Yummy.


	11. Scarlet

I've decided to bless you with another chapter to make up for the big spaces in between, but take heed. This chapter is the most horrid yet. I cried. My sister cried. Will you cry?

-

Chapter 10 - Scarlet

-

"_Today we're going to try something different. You'll be pitted against one another, randomly paired, with conflicting goals. One of you will have to retrieve the 'flag' and the other will have to protect it. When you do this, I remind you to think that there is nothing else but the mission. Nothing else matters but the mission. If you fail, you will most likely die. Failure is not an option. From this moment, you will not speak. You must not say a word during the exercise, or you will be noticed and your mission will fail. Do I make myself clear? Good, now go to your separate holding chambers. You will be summoned when your time comes."_

Rei ran over what the instructor had said in his head as he waited. He had been sitting in his holding chamber for what seemed like hours, the only respite when a sign flashed up on a screen in the wall, telling him that it was his mission to collect the flag at all costs. He wondered who he would be up against, but with all the armour they were wearing, it would be impossible to tell. His whole body was covered in a matt black suit, skin-tight and strangely textured. His hair was bundled into a helmet that included a visor that covered the top half of his face, the glass tinted so that recognition was impossible.

"You may now enter the arena."

Rei looked up at the door as it slid open onto what looked like a film set. It was massive, a huge reconstruction of a ruined city, and he couldn't see his goal, the 'flag', anywhere.

Knowing that somewhere out there was a trainee with his name on it, he wasted no time in entering the arena, scaling a nearby set of traffic lights to try and see any sign of a flag. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps below him and looked down to investigate the disturbance. It was his opponent, scouting the terrain for either him or the flag. Whilst Rei was tempted to jump down from his perch and give the sloppy trainee a good beating for not looking up, he resisted the urge, knowing that he stood a better chance if he approached his goal stealthily.

He waited until the footsteps faded to move, keeping to the higher places to avoid being seen. Now he knew what had taken the others so long. The flag was nowhere to be found, up high or in basements low, and he was starting to get frustrated. Logic told him that it should be somewhere in the middle of the arena, but there was nothing there except a big, empty square that had no cover, just a statue in the middle.

A statue of a man holding a flag.

Rei cursed himself for being so stupid and started back towards the square, wary for his opponent, whom he hadn't seen since the first encounter. He lingered in the shadows at the side of the great expanse, debating what to do and finally deciding on an all-out run to the finish.

He burst free of cover and sprinted in the direction of his goal, unaware of another entity speeding towards him until it was too late. He tried to change course, but they collided with a crunch and hit the floor, rolling over and over.

His opponent was clearly trying to pin him to the floor, so Rei kept struggling. A swift kick to the stomach with both feet sent his enemy flying backwards and he took the chance to make another flying leap to the flag, but his way was impeded by a body coming up to meet his.

Rei was getting tired. His adversary's strategy was clearly to separate him from his goal by putting their own body in between. Every time he tried to get past, they were there. Time for a change in tactics.

He leapt forward to meet his foe, knowing that if only he could knock them out, then his way would be clear. But that was easier said than done. The helmets were incredibly hard and resistant to cracking, as were the armoured suits. The only bare flesh was the bottom half of the face and the neck…

Frustrated with the whole ordeal, Rei started to fight wildly, desperately. Punch, block, kick, twist, jump, sweep, block, punch, connect! His opponent reeled for one, frantic second, but then countered wih a reflex punch that sent Rei cartwheeling backwards to keep his balance. As he flipped away, he saw a shard of metal, thin and cruelly sharp, lying on the ground. His hand landed on it, gripped and held. He returned to his feet at the end of his cartwheel and blocked the second punch sent his way, the metal shard still in his hand, the edges digging into his flesh. Block, block, punch, kick, step, jump, duck, block. The punches were coming faster now, almost impossible to block. On the verge of giving up, he gave one last desperate swipe, forgetting that his hand still held the knife-like shard.

The slash connected, sliding almost perfectly underneath the jawbone and slicing along the pale skin.

Blood gushed forth and his opponent crumbled. Rei dropped the blood-coated metal and fell to his knees beside them, still not quite believing what he had done. He tore off his mask to rid himself of the horrible, claustrophobic feeling, but it did not lessen as he looked upon the body, spattered with blood.

He knew that no one could survive that, knew that there was nothing he could do, but he still tried, and pulled off the helmet to see his opponent's face.

John's pale, crimson splashed face looked up at him. The beautiful blue eyes were tightly closed in pain, but one slit open, a sliver of sapphire in the darkness.

"Rei?"

"Yes, it's me." Rei grabbed his hand in desperation, willing himself not to cry. "John, I'm sorry…"

"…No…" John's life was ebbing rapidly. "No…Not…you anymore…Don't…Don't let…"

"Don't let what?" Rei cried urgently, giving in to the tears that were already coursing down his cheeks.

But John was already gone, dead by his best friend's hand in a pool of scarlet betrayal.

---

I love all my reviewers because they are My Munch Bunch Buddies.


	12. Progress

I hereby dedicate this to Kyle. I miss him more than anything else in the world.

I also leave a note to Maci May, one of my favourite reviewers, thanking her for cheering me up after I was angsting about Kyle. I'm glad that you think I'm a great Munch Bunch Leader. It's because I've got great Munch Bunch Buddies like you.

-

Chapter 11 – Progress

-

Rei felt the tears streaming down his cheeks as he sobbed over John's body. His clothes were soaked in blood and the air reeked of death. He closed his dead friends's eyes and pressed a final kiss to his brow. Then he did something that distinguished himself from the old Rei Kon forever.

He stood up, walked away from the body and reached for the flag.

Progress Report

Name: Rei Kon

Number: 014316

Age: 17

Status: Soldier, soon to be promoted

Notes: Rei is the most interesting pupil I have ever seen. He is both strong physically, being able to do things that some cybernetically enhanced students cannot, and mentally. We have had to use all of our most advanced techniques to break his spirit and mould it in our image.

This breaking is the most important part of the training, for without it he would not be able to put his skills to good use. He was too trusting and too vulnerable, too hesitant to hurt. Thanks to the false memories we implanted in his mind and careful bending of the truth, we have been able to create much anger within him and train it on a single person – a team-mate of his, Kai Hiwatari. This has led to Rei becoming a person who can hate more easily and therefore take out that hate on others.

This conditioning has been a resounding success, shown by his performance yesterday, during one of his training sessions. Rei killed another student, a friend, in order to reach his goal. I was particularly pleased with his performance, as I was a little concerned as to whether he would leave the body, but he walked away after a moment and reached for the flag instead.

I have no doubt now that it was the best decision to recruit Rei for this job. I was sceptical of Mr Balcov's plan to start with, but now I realise that Rei is the best candidate for the position as Commander. He has passed every test with flying colours and is definitely ready for the next stage. He will be admitted for cybernetic enhancement next week and I have expressed a wish that they do nothing to his mind or eyes. His enhancement will merely be muscular, skeletal and blood based, nothing needs doing to his brain.

Dr Penelope Grant

--

I love all my reviewers because they put up with such small chapters. I promise that I'll make the last few chapters, particularly the one after the prologue insert, really big as a gift to you. I also love them for the fact that they put up with the strange names I call them, like My Great And Omnipotent Goddesses (and Gods) of Terra Firma


	13. Mr James Harris

Yay! Next chapter!!! This is where the cool starts.

I have changed the previous chapter, replacing Rei's codename with a serial number. The name was a plot dead-end and pointless, constricting plot routes, so I killed it.

-

**Chapter 12** – Mr. James Harris

-

Rei gave a small, shy smile and walked up to the front desk. "Excuse me, I'm here for an appointment with Chairman Dolohov."

The receptionist looked at him appraisingly over her spectacles. "You would be Mr. Harris, then?"

"Yes, here's my ID." The ID was fake, a present from the Mafiya, the picture matching the disguise he was wearing: a wig of wavy blue locks and contacts that turned his brilliantly amber eyes into a much murkier brown. The Russian Mafiya had also called in favours from worldwide operatives, on Biovolt's request, to wipe all traces of his existence from records. Now, the boy that was Rei Kon officially did not exist.

"Thank you, sir. You'll find the office you're looking for on the eleventh floor, the map should direct you to your destination."

He nodded a thanks to the receptionist, took the keycard she handed him and swiped himself through the revolving door. So far, so good.

A short elevator ride up to the eleventh floor (taking the stairs would have given away his physical fitness), during which he helped a somewhat elderly woman pick up the folders she had dropped, and a quick look at the floor map took him where he wanted to go. In fact, he hadn't needed to look at the map, already having memorized the floor plan prior to the mission, but suspicion might have been aroused had he not even glanced at the thing. He arrived at the door, emblazoned with a plaque declaring its occupant, straightened his navy blue suit and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Chairman! Good evening to you, I'm James Harris, the transportation supervisor you requested to see." Rei kept the polite smile fixed on his face as he shook the man's hand.

Chairman Dolohov was a tall, balding man with piercing grey eyes that raked over Rei, taking in every detail from age to appearance. He leaned back in his chair and motioned Rei to a seat.

"Yes, I am particularly concerned about the by-pass you are currently campaigning for. You say this will help cut traffic through the city centre, but there is evidence that this has not worked in the past and you propose to build it in an area that is, shall we say, uncooperative."

"I can see your point, Chairman," replied Rei, in a voice eager to prove his own, fumbling in his messenger bag for a paper. "But there are several pros to the move, as previously outlined prior to- oh, no…"

He dropped the papers, scattering them over the floor, and immediately bent down to pick them up. Apologizing profusely to the high-ranking government official, he slid the explosive device given to him out of his sock and attached it to the desk leg. Having gathered his resources back up again, he straightened up and opened his mouth to speak, but the Chairman interrupted.

"Mr. Harris, how old are you?"

"Twenty, sir."

"A little young to be handling such a serious campaign, do you think?"

"It's a family business, sir. My father helped me with some things so that I could climb the ranks. I assure you, sir, my age has nothing to do with my skills."

"And where are you from, I'm afraid I don't recognize your accent, though your Russian is very good."

"I'm from America, sir," Rei lied, shuffling the papers in his hands. Learning how to speak Russian with an American accent had been harder than learning in the first place. "But my mother's Russian, so it's my best second language. Now, I know you're short for time, sir, but-"

"Yes, I'm afraid that I'm expecting another appointment imminently and we're already behind schedule. Perhaps it would be better if you came back another day. Make sure to book another appointment with my secretary on your way out, but if you leave your notes with me then I can read them and digest the contents in time for your next visit."

Everything was going perfectly. With the boresome notes to plough through, Chairman Dolohov would not leave his office, particularly with another client waiting. Rei left, leaving the notes, made another appointment as he left, and exited the building, giving a friendly nod to the receptionist.

Ten minutes and seventeen seconds later, when Rei was safely on a train bound for Moscow, the office on the west side of the eleventh floor exploded. Chairman Dolohov, along with thirty-two other businessmen and women, was killed in the explosion. Police never found the culprit, but several suspects were called in, including a Mr. James Harris. However, Mr. Harris was never found, having disappeared a few days after the incident, last seen as he left the building just minutes beforehand.

--

I love all my reviewers because this week they are As Beautiful As A Thousand Galaxies. …and they're mine…


	14. A Bit Of Fun

-

Chapter 13 – A Bit Of Fun

-

If you had told the Rei Kon of a year ago that in a year's time on the 11th of November he would be jumping from building to building during a thunderstorm, at 11:45 at night, listening to Britney Spears' 'Toxic' as he got ready to assassinate the leader of a major Russian political party, he would have laughed in your face and walked away, snickering, with his team-mate Kai Hiwatari.

However, the Rei Kon of now was a somewhat different person from the past Rei Kon. The new Rei Kon was newly outfitted with cybernetic implants that meant he could jump storeys high and run as fast as a car could drive easily; the new Rei Kon was listening to 'Toxic' because he had hooked his mp3 player up to his radiolink and couldn't be bothered to change the song; the new Rei Kon was on his way to assassinate his last target and plant suspicious information that would bring down the political infrastructure, and as for walking away with his friend and team-mate, Kai Hiwatari…

He had decided that, since this unfortunate politician was going to be the last to join the long list of the dead-in-the-name-of-a-better-cause, it was a good opportunity to have some fun and 'celebrate' by scaring the shit out of Mr Pasha Molyev before his death.

He was going to enjoy this.

Rei hopped from the street lamp on which he had been perched, landing on the top of a tram that took him closer to the target building. The penthouse was over fifty storeys up, too high to jump from the ground, but easy to scale, as the architect had designed the building with a slanting side that was too steep for a normal human to run up.

But, then again, Rei was no normal human.

With an average of one step for every two storeys, the pad of his boots silent against the glass and nothing but a shadow to the naked eye, Rei found himself at his destination quicker than he had expected. A scan of the area showed him a window, open with the curtains fluttering in the wind. Perfect.

To Pasha Molyev, it seemed that, during the brief flash of lightning, a shadow appeared on his windowsill. He sat up in bed to investigate, but nothing was moving, except for his curtains, blowing in the storm. Shaking his head and declaring it a trick of the light, he got up and closed the window, taking time to look down at the ground below and assure himself that no one could get up to his home externally, short of flying a helicopter up to the window.

Still unable to shake the image from his mind, he left his bedroom to stumble to the kitchen in search of a drink to soothe his nerves. He was halfway down the hall when he heard his bedroom door close behind him. He jerked around, searching the shadows for something, anything, but there was nothing. He walked quickly to the kitchen and flicked the light switch, searching in the cupboards for something strong that would put him to sleep, away from the shadowy nightmare.

The light clicked off.

He gasped and rushed back to the switch in the darkness, stubbing his foot on a chair leg, but not caring. He flicked the switch again, but this time light did not shine forth.

"Hello Pasha."

He whirled around, trying desperately to see into the inky blackness for the owner of the voice. The voice so silkily smooth that it sent chills down his spine.

"I've come for you Pasha."

He felt the breath across his cheek and spun with his arms out, trying to catch his tormentor, instead hearing a twisted chuckle.

"Oh Pasha, you do amuse me. Incidentally, do you know why I am here?"

"Who are you?" He called, panicked, into the darkness.

"Why, I'm your murderer, of course."

A bolt of lightning seared across the sky, lighting the room in stark relief and the owner of the voice was revealed to him. He saw a figure, black and featureless, small but also inconceivably large, a part of the shadows. But the image that fixed into his memory as he fell from his window to the concrete below was not of the shadowy mane, nor the fangs that glinted over the bottom lip.

It was of the eyes that burned in the darkness, burned amber with hate and hollow, sadistic laughter.

The last thing that Pasha Molyev thought before his body hit the ground, was how sorry he was that a human being could be twisted into such a nightmarish creature.

--

I love all my reviewers because they are My Merry Wives Of Windsor. And why do I call them strange names? Because I feel that they are very special people, those reviewers, and deserve to be called 'Beautiful' and 'Wonderous'. It's just me, showing my thanks.


	15. A Cruel Irony

-

Chapter 14 – A Cruel Irony

-

Kai took one look at the newspaper's front page and immediately purchased one from the stall, rushing home to show it to Tala. He had thought that the headlines couldn't get worse after last week, when half of the leading political party had been assassinated and the government had brought in emergency terrorism policies when the incidences had been linked. A temporary cabinet had been installed but, unsurprisingly, ministers were reluctant to take up positions.

He ran up the steps, turning the key in the lock and making it into the living room just quick enough to hear the news reader read out the story, Tala standing rapt in front of the television.

"…standing amongst the wreckage, it's easy to see how thoroughly the destruction has been carried out. The attack, which started in the early hours of this morning, had decimated St. Petersburg, killing hundreds. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but there are several eyewitness accounts as well as photographs…"

Kai moved closer to the screen as a particular photo flashed up. Taken from a mobile phone, the picture was blurry and barely discernable, but a shadow stood out from the blackness around. _A demon_, Kai thought, for that is what it looked like. The outline of the body wasn't distinct, ragged with the night sky, surrounded by a dark mane of hair with two, large amber orbs for eyes. The amber leapt out of the dark face as they looked straight at the camera, sharp and feral.

"This photograph is the clearest of many that show what is thought to be the leader of the attackers, dubbed 'Firefly' for his appearance. The numbers are not yet known and communications are down from the city, electricity and water having been cut moments before the first bomb went off…"

The screen cut to pictures of the city, blackened and burnt, some fires still belching smoke. How the attackers could have caused so much devastation without being caught, Kai didn't know. He looked over to Tala, who was biting his lip in worry.

"You thinking about your apartment?"

"No," replied Tala, his eyes still roving over the flickering images. "I'm wondering how they did it, why they did it and who they are. That picture of the leader…I just can't shake this weird feeling…" He shrugged his shoulders and turned off the television. "Ah, don't worry about me, Kai. You've got enough to deal with already, what with Rei disappearing and all. Just be glad that there's no way he could have been in St. Petersburg."

A cruel irony, indeed.

--

People were craving more Kai, so I live to serve. There will, of course, be more later, but things (important things) must happen before then. Thus, very little of Kai at the moment, but you'll survive…won't you?

I love all my reviewers, because today they are Lovelier Than A Thousand Paintings, but **evildictionaryninja** can be special as Quirkily Odd And Cynical, But Also Very Beautiful.


	16. So It Begins

-

Chapter 15 – So It Begins

-

Rei licked his thumb and turned the page of his newspaper, bored of the sports pages and wanting to read about the attack on St. Petersburg that he had orchestrated.

But there was no time for him to revel in his own mastery, because the underground train was pulling into his station and he had less than two minutes to divest himself of his disguise and cause havoc. He stepped off the train and surreptitiously dropped a small packet of explosives in the gap between platform and train, stepping behind a pillar milliseconds before it exploded.

Using the ensuing screams as cover, he ditched his trench coat and put on his eyepiece, throwing a flash bomb behind him as he headed through the rubble-strewn metro tunnel towards the city centre, grinning at the sounds of chaos behind him.

The attack on Moscow, just a couple of days after St. Petersburg, was going perfectly. Begun on the tail end of the evening rush hour, Rei's squad was arriving via public transport, laying explosives as they went. His eyepiece told him that two of the bridges over the Moscow River were already demolished and several other Metro stations were, like his, in a state of collapse. The main objectives, to destroy all transport links, cut the power and generally cause chaos, were taking place as planned. As Commander, it was his job to get to the mid-way rendezvous, the Kremlin, first, so he exited the tunnel through a maintenance hatch and started running south, torching several cars and making sure to send a rocket towards the planetarium as he went.

-

If Kai hadn't been wearing his headphones whilst cooking dinner at half past six on Tuesday evening, he might have heard the screams, sirens and explosions that permeated the night air. As it was, the music, combined with the smoke alarm, was too loud for him to distinguish anything else, and he didn't notice his mobile phone ringing until it started crawling, in a desperate bid for freedom, towards the edge of the kitchen table as it vibrated. He rescued it just as it tipped over the edge and put it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Oh, thank God you're okay…"

"Tala?" Kai put the saucepan down and started fanning the screeching smoke alarm with a dishtowel. Tala sounded shaken – very worrying. "Tala, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"_I'm in the car, heading for the country house on the outskirts of town."_

"What? What the hell are you doing there?" Kai switched ears as the alarm finally ceased its impression of a tortured child.

"_There's something bad going on in the city, Kai. While I was at the market, a bomb went off. Those people that trashed St. Petersburg, they're here. Firefly's here, Kai, and he and his soldiers are blowing up everything. Only a couple of roads are still open, but they won't last long."_

"Are you okay, Tala? You weren't hurt in the explosion?"

"Nothing I can't take care of. Bruising, cuts, a broken arm…"

"A broken arm!" Kai was starting to see red as he shut off the music, able now to hear the sounds of the chaos outside. "Tala, that's-"

"_Look, that's not important!" _Tala's voice was shaking and Kai heard a snap as the phone's casing cracked in his grip._ "Just…promise me something."_

"What?"

"_I know you too well, Kai. Just…when you go after him…when you see him…don't do anything rash, okay? And don't go and die on me, all right?"_

"How did you know I was going to-"

"_That's doesn't matter! Just promise me!" _

"I promise."

"_Good. Remember that, Kai. I'll see you later, and good luck."_

Kai hung up, turned off the stove, put on his coat and left the house, the gun he had sworn he would never touch again in a holster at his back.

--

Oooh! Very exciting!!! Stay tuned for the next chapter: the confrontation!!!! You can just hear the dramatic music, can't you?

I love all my reviewers because Their Voices Are Like Music To My Ears And Food For My Soul. If music be the food of love, play on.


	17. Love, Hate and Fire

I hereby dedicate this chapter to **ShalBrenfan**, who deserves this dedication in every sense, for cheering me up, giving me faith (my sister still declares that I'm a great writer but I don't believe her) and inspiring me to write more and get this story finished. We're back with Rei's quirky, British-style evil madness once again and, as I promised, this one's going to be a long one.

-

**Chapter 16** – Love, Hate and Fire

-

His throat burned. His fingers numbed. Dirt and soot caked his body and his eyes blazed with more than fire.

Kai Hiwatari's crimson eyes burned with hatred.

Hatred from the one who did this; the one who had taken innocent lives and controlled others with cruelty and destruction.

It was never meant to be this way. It was never meant to happen. Russia should not have fallen into the hands of such people. It should not have to be held at gunpoint by a criminal organisation. Kai should not have had to stand where he did, amid the flames and the screams and the slaughter that raged around him. He should not have had to be the one to find the creature that destroyed lives so efficiently and killed without mercy.

But there was no other. No other to stop this new, terrible enemy. So Kai had to be the one to end it; the one to put an end to the hated, soulless murderer.

The hated, soulless murderer that stood on top of the building before him, silhouetted by the flames that leapt around them, faceless as they surveyed the chaos they had created.

Kai shielded his eyes against the sparks that blinded him, to gain a few precious seconds of sight in order to identify his enemy.

And in those few seconds, he saw.

His hand dropped and his eyes widened, not knowing or caring that his vision was blurring, that his skin was burning. He opened his mouth to speak, but the horror had rendered him speechless. He could have died right then, and he would have still been standing, for the realisation at the identity of his enemy had transfixed him to the spot, a statue consumed in orange fire.

"_No…"_

In a desperate thought that a closer look would disprove what his eyes were telling him, Kai climbed up the fire escape frantically, but the sight that met him at the top was as familiar as ever. The lithe silhouette, the long curtain of hair.

"Rei."

Rei turned and met his eyes, if only for a moment before turning and looking back at the flickering flames that were engulfing the Kremlin.

"Hello, Kai. I hadn't expected to see you here."

Kai was startled at the casual tone that Rei employed, and if he had not been wracked with shock, he would have noticed the mocking undercurrents beneath it.

"I…I can't believe this…"

"Believe it, Kai!" Rei's eyes were brighter than the flames that leapt. "This is no dream, no fallacy that your nightmares have concocted. You stand here, in front of the person responsible for the burning of this city and I am very interested in what you have to say. So, come. Tell me your deepest, darkest thoughts about the great 'Firefly', assassin extraordinaire."

Only great self-control kept Kai from stammering as he answered.

"Tala always knew. I should have seen it, but I didn't."

"Tala?" the voice behind the dark mane chuckled in humourless laughter. "Why drag him into this? He didn't happen to be in St. Petersburg when I blew it up, did he? Kai's wounded pride calls forth righteous anger for his little friend?"

"No," Kai was reeling from the accuracy of the snide statement. "He wasn't in St. Petersburg. He was caught in a blast by one of your soldiers but hours ago. If he was a normal human being, he would be dead."

"Tala? Injured? I had no idea. He should be glad that it was merely one of my soldiers that took care of him. If I had known Tala was in the vicinity I would have killed him."

"Why?"

"For being a reminder of the past."

"What about me? Am I not a reminder of the past? Will you kill me?"

Kai would never forget the word that came next; never forget the sound of Rei's voice as he said it; never forget the way Rei's eyes burned into his soul. Firefly's eyes.

"Yes."

In the past, Kai had always been used to pinning people with his gaze. It was always easier to silence them with a look than waste words on deaf ears. He had never known what it felt to be on the receiving end of that gaze, to not be able to look away from the eyes that seared into his. Now he knew, held motionless by Rei's stare. The stare that both froze him to the spot and threatened to burn lest he look away.

"Why?"

"Why?!?" Rei snarled in response, his beautiful amber eyes slitting. "You have the audacity to ask me why? When you already know?"

"What?" Kai was suddenly more confused, if that was possible. "When I know what?"

"When you know what you did! When you walked away! When you destroyed EVERYTHING!"

"What? Rei, I-"

But there was no stopping Rei. "Shut up! You lost the right to speak to me that day, the day you left me on that floor with nowhere to go but the place I thought I hated! You are the one who made me cling to…to _this. _You are the one who betrayed my trust and made me into the person I am today. You made me do this. You made me kill all those people. You made _me_, Kai… If it hadn't been for you, _he_ wouldn't have died."

It was difficult to tell by the light of the flames, but Kai could have sworn that he saw a tear trickle down Rei's cheek. But there was no time for him to look closer, for several black shapes sprang onto the rooftop, one grabbing him and pressing a knife to his throat.

"No!" He felt a surge of hope as he saw Rei halt his captor's hand, but it was crushed at his next words. "Do not kill him. He is mine – I will take care of him myself."

"Commander?" a dark figure asked, hidden behind their dark visor. "Sir, Mayes is missing. We lost contact a few miles from the rendezvous."

When Rei did not speak, the soldier – for that was the only possible incarnation – ploughed on. "Your orders, sir?"

The Commander seemed almost in a daze, but the sensation of a score eyes upon him snapped him back to reality and back into Firefly. "Odd numbers take the low road – sewers, shopping centres, subway tunnels. Even numbers take the rooftops and bridges. I want all lines cut to this city. Follow the route directly opposite to the one you arrived by. Torch a few places – hit and run. All supply and communications down, do I make myself clear?

"I want you, Fairfax, to return to Mayes' last position. Scout two miles in perimeter. If you find his body, take it to the north boundary rendezvous and radio for a 'copter. If you don't find it, get out of there. The rest of you, it's three hundred miles home – I'll see you in three days."

With a start, Kai realised that Rei spoke without the possibility that Mayes was alive. His soldier was dead. Body or no body, his troops would be one member short when they returned.

The Biovolt soldiers disappeared off the edges of the building in all directions, and it was only seconds before the sky was lit up by a missile flare, the west bridge consumed in a flower-like explosion.

"Do you see, Kai?" asked Rei, observing the chaos that raged around him. "Do you see how beautiful they are? They act without thought, know without doubt. Are they not beautiful?"

"All I see is a killing machine, one that has been hiding in the Hell dimensions for too long."

Rei shook his head. "Think, Kai. Think what is different about this army."

It took a minute before Kai spoke. "There are no vehicles."

"Why have vehicles? We have a few drop ships to parachute us into situations, but no other transportation. We don't need it. Soldiers make their own way to the battlefield and out of it. They walk, run, steal, hitch-hike their way, disguised among the populace. That is why what is left of the Russian army cannot find us; we leave no traces."

"You are not heavily armoured."

"Our strengths lie in speed and agility – why encumber troops with heavy protection? They dodge bullets, not stop them."

"There are so few."

"Size does not matter. There are less than thirty fully trained soldiers, but that hasn't stopped us so far. Instead of masses of ill-trained sheep, we create only the best, and they reward us better than thousands could."

"You are bio-modified with nanotechnology."

"A trait that we could not do without. If we did, we would still be powerful, but not unbeatable. That is what we have achieved – perfection, power, infinity. That is why the Infinity project was created."

Kai felt something stir inside him. He knew that name, somewhere from long ago…

"You were part of that project, Tala as well. You were prototypes for the system, but you were found to be too volatile. That is why there has only been one successful 'Infinite'."

It didn't take long for Kai to realise that he was looking at it.

"Rei, why have you done this to yourself? Why have you made yourself into a computer-controlled puppet?"

"PUPPET?" Rei snarled, eyes glowing brighter than the fires in the Red Square. "I am no puppet. I walk of my own free will. They did nothing to my mind!"

"Nothing physical, maybe, but they most certainly changed the way you think. The Rei I know would never do this, would never make himself into a machine."

"I did not make myself this, Kai! Don't you listen? It is _you_ who have made me, _you_ who controls me and the way I think._ You always have_."

Kai had no time to answer and even if he did, his voice would have been drowned out by the cacophony of noise that erupted around them. The building they stood upon let out an unholy shriek, caving in like a cracked eggshell, taking Kai with it.

He felt the flames sear and saw the smoke blind, deaf to anything but the creature that was screaming around him. He hardly noticed being thrown to the side, didn't register the fact that his impact on the tarmac should have resulted in his death, and only knew different after the screeching stopped and the heat of the flames lessened.

Opening his eyes gingerly, the first thing he saw was dirt and soot and rubble, but upon closer inspection with weary eyes, the dust started to clear and his unlikely saviour was revealed.

Rei was struggling to free himself from his imprisonment between a rock and a hard place. More specifically, a concrete block and a steel girder. Kai was about to help him in whatever way he could, but he was struck dumb as Rei managed to get his feet under himself and stood, the steel falling to the ground with a clatter.

Rei was flagging, Kai noticed. All his weight was on one leg, the other shredded and bloody, his right arm was pressed tightly to his ribs, a sure sign that it was broken, and his face was white beneath the dirt. Rei was losing blood fast and would soon collapse, but Firefly wouldn't allow it.

"Spotted," he gasped, more to himself than to Kai. "The Army's here. Doesn't matter if 'Fax found Mayes, there's no way he can call for pick up now if Katamay didn't get that train line I'll skin her and maybe they'll have the sense to weave this time but there's no way she got the south bridge as well she's gotta be out here still but she's independent she'll get herself out of it…"

Kai knew that Rei was getting delirious, rambling about everything and nothing at the same time, speaking in a vain attempt to keep himself conscious. It didn't surprise him, therefore, a few moments later when he collapsed in a heap. What surprised him was the fact that Firefly let him.

Survival instincts came into play as another missile flowered above them, and Kai made a snap decision, hoping that it was the save-our-lives kind rather than the more frequent Christ-why-in-Hell-did-I-do-_that?_

He pulled off his scarf and tied it around Rei's leg to slow the bleeding, splinted the broken arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder. His only thought was to get back to the safe-house and back to Tala. The only problem was, Tala had taken the car, there was no way he could hail some kind of public transport, and he couldn't let any army paramedic see Rei, lest they recognise him.

So it was that, half an hour later, Kai was struggling to ride a motorcycle and keep Rei in the seat in front of him, having exercised his hot-wiring skills for the first time in years. When half a mile from the house, Kai cut the engine, trekking on foot through the woods towards the cabin. He was relieved to see that there was a light on, and Tala waiting at the window for him.

--

Have I mentioned how much I love you for keeping with this story so far? If no, then prepare yourself. If yes, you'll just have to go through it again. THANK YOU!!! **I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!**

I love all my reviewers because they are My Flower Pot (Wo)men (and because they've stuck with this long enough to see where the prologue is taken from).


	18. A Standoff Over Coffee And Wine

**Chapter 17** – A Standoff Over Coffee And Wine

-

"Kai, I told you specifically _not_ to do anything rash."

Tala clutched at his cup of coffee as though it were the last thing keeping him sane, which it probably was. From his seat at the kitchen table, he could see straight down the hall into the bedroom that held the source of all his worries. He gazed in desperate contemplation at the mane of black hair, grateful that the owner was still mercifully out cold.

"Yeah, I need to ask you something about that." Kai sat down with his own mug and stared at him. "How did you know?"

Tala thought back to the fright he had gotten when he had opened the door to Kai, who had had an unconscious bundle of black hair and scarlet blood that was unmistakably Firefly and, at the same time, unmistakably Rei. The feeling had been more of resignation than surprise.

"It was that picture on the news," he muttered, swirling the coffee in his mug. "I just saw the hair and the eyes and immediately thought of Rei. It was only a while later that I connected his disappearance to Firefly. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you, Kai. If I had told you, then you might have done something really stupid, like gone on some crusade to track him down."

"And what if I had done?"

"He would have killed you, Kai. I couldn't let that happen."

Kai looked suddenly shaken, but he shrugged it off.

"He said that to me, you know," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"That he would kill you?"

"Yeah, for being a reminder of the past." He met Tala's eyes. "I don't believe him."

"Kai!" Tala felt the anger welling up inside him, angry that Kai could be so naïve. "What are you saying? Are you insane? You put too much faith in him."

"But I know him! Rei wouldn't-"

"That's just it, Kai! You're remembering the _old_ Rei, the one that would never do any of this! You seem to forget that it's Firefly that is lying in that room, not Rei. Rei's gone, Kai, and he's not coming back."

Kai looked at the table, his voice shaky. "But I think I l-"

"Don't say it!" Tala hissed, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare say it! You're thinking of the old Rei, not the murderer that is lying unconscious in the guestroom. Yes, Kai. That's what he is – _a murderer_."

"He's not a murderer!" Kai shouted, muffled behind the hand covering his mouth. "Rei wouldn't do it!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Tala sighed, releasing Kai and slumping in his chair, staring into his coffee mug again. "He loved you, you know? He loved you more than anything else in the world. And you never noticed when he turned down all those suitors, never noticed how he talked to you differently, never noticed when the whole world could see it. Now you've finally cottoned on, thanks to months of separation, but now he's changed. He doesn't love you anymore, Kai. If he said he'll kill you, then he will. He's killed countless others."

"You never spoke truer words, Tala."

Kai whipped around at the sound of the soft, strangely cultured voice that bore so little resemblance to how it was before, but Tala did not. He merely swirled the coffee in his mug with a world-weary sigh and avoided the amber eyes fixed on him.

"I don't doubt it." He risked a glance at Kai's face and saw the look of utter shock thereupon, realising that some explanation was in order. "I'm impressed. Even when my systems were at their least rusty, I couldn't repair in under four hours."

"I am superior," came the reply. "I am everything you were and more. Much more."

"Indeed," he murmured. "I suppose that is why you differ from me; if I had sworn to kill you, I would have done so immediately. Why is it that you wait?"

"I would gain no satisfaction from such a death. I would prefer to kill you on my own terms, be it tomorrow, next week or in ten years time. But I will keep my promise."

"I expected nothing less. Why don't you sit down, I'll get you something to drink." Tala did not look at him as he got up from the table, taking his and Kai's cups of now-cold coffee. "What would you like? Coffee? Tea? Fruit juice? Wine?"

"A glass of wine would be very welcome, thank you." Out of the corner of his eye, Tala could see the grace with which Rei sat down at the table, different from the feline traits he showed before.

As he handed over the glass of wine, he looked at Rei properly for the first time since…years ago. He suddenly wondered how on earth Kai had got the two confused. The Rei he remembered had an easy, friendly smile, not a cultured smirk that hid everything. He noticed the way he sat, the way he held his glass so delicately and yet so surely. He saw those things in himself and realised how important that was.

"So, Biovolt is behind all this," Tala said, ignoring Kai's look of bewilderment. "A far cry from beyblading, isn't it?"

"Somewhat." The golden eyes were boring into him, showing no surprise that he had worked it out. "Let me guess, it was the posture? I told Boris that it would someday be the death of him. All those etiquette lessons; so useful for dealing with irritating foreign ambassadors, but so superfluous when meeting with…" A pause. "…friends."

"So, Rei," Tala declared, leaning forward and disregarding Kai, who was still in a state of shell-shocked horror. "We're all dying to know. How is it that you got here, did all this? An unusual choice of career, don't you think?"

--

I love all my reviewers because they are the Bountiful Flora That Fill My Iridescent Garden. Without the flowers, the garden is nothing.


	19. Dissimilar

Alright, I know I hinted that this wouldn't be ReiKai at the end, but I have had a revelation that this story would be crap anti-climax without it. The people win.

Chapter 18 – Dissimilar

-

"Oh, you know, the usual. To see new things, meet new people…"

Tala's smile vanished. "That's bullshit, Rei, and you know it."

"Yes, it is bullshit," Rei admitted, swirling his wine in his glass, his own smug smile still in place. "I never expected you to swallow it. If you had, I would have been supremely disappointed. Much as I am with your dog, here. Do you have to keep him on such a short leash or is he this quiet on his own?"

Tala shot a look at Kai, who seemed to be bursting to say something, but was unable to unstick his jaw. Rei noticed this and smiled wide, downing the last of his wine and pushing back his chair.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, but I have an important phone call to make."

Rei sashayed out of the back door, leaving Tala along with Kai.

"Some help you were!" shot Tala, folding his arms and glaring at Kai. "Sitting there like goldfish! What, pray tell, were you thinking when brought him back here?"

Kai just stared back, goldfish expression rampant.

"Well you can do whatever you like, he snorted, flouncing out of the door, "but I'm going to do something about it."

Tala left Kai in the kitchen and burst out onto the veranda, where he found Rei, talking into his earpiece.

"-Yes, I won't be back at the time specified…Some trouble with the army. I can't blow cover just to meet RV…Or I could stay and…Great minds think alike, no? Just wait a sec; I've got a visitor who I absolutely must talk to. He's got that determined look on his face…Yeah, that's him. I'll call back, okay?…Uh huh, see you soon. Bye!"

"So sorry to interrupt." Tala smiled. "But I just had to know how similar we are. I take it that was Boris? Not many get a personal call like that, you know. I did, of course, but I don't know if-"

"I don't sell my body to my superior," snarled Rei, eyes bright. "I am unlike you in that respect, certainly."

"And how else? If you're not forced to be Boris' little 'rabbit', then why does he keep you around? What's your purpose?"

"To lead my troops. They aren't his to command and neither am I."

"Who is in charge, then?"

"Myself. The scientists that made me. Aristocrats. The Mafia. This goes beyond Russia."

Tala swore under his breath. The Mafia. The Mafia and all of its worldwide 'families' in every major city all over the globe. Shit.

He sighed. "Let's get off this subject and onto one that I feel more secure talking about. Why are you telling me all this?"

"Come on, Tala! Think! Why did you used to tell people every little detail? Because they were powerless to do anything about it. anyway, I know you won't pass this information on."

"Why's that?"

Tala was surprised to hear Kai's voice from the back door and was pleasantly so to find that he looked and sounded more like the strong, decisive Kai of before Rei's appearance.

Rei smirked. "Because you're not going anywhere. That low buzzing that you can hear, Tala, but Kai cannot, is the sound of a stealthed jump jet hovering fifty feet above our heads and this dart, " he held up his gauntlet, something glinting in the darkness, "will put Kai out for at least twenty-four hours." The dart hit Kai in the neck and he dropped instantly to the floor. Rei looked up with a look in his eye that spelt pure evil. "And you, Tala, knowing your resistance to tranquillisers, I will have to take care of differently. It's time to show you how dissimilar we really are."

--

I love all my reviewers because they are My Little Lovehearts.


	20. Lady Luck

I hereby dedicate this chapter to Patriotic Puppy for reviewing so faithfully and without whom I would never be so motivated to finish this story.

-

Chapter 19 – Lady Luck

-

Tala awoke to the sound of a soft feminine voice calling his name.

"Mr Ivanov? Mr Ivanov, wake up."

He was lying on something soft and deliciously warm, but before he could sink into the feeling, a splitting headache made itself known. It seemed centred above his left eye and was persistently telling him he was in great pain, a direct result of a previous greater pain. He opened his eyes blearily, thankful that the light in the room was dim.

"Good evening, Mr Ivanov. Welcome to Windsor House. How are you feeling?"

The voice belonged to a very pretty girl in a black and white maid's uniform and she was looking at him with detached concern.

"I'm fine. Thanks," he replied, sitting up to examine his surroundings. His head protested, but he ignored it.

He was in a bedroom that was dominated by the four-poster bed he was lying in. it was decorated in a very classic style, more like a stately home than anything else.

"Mr Kon requests that you join him for dinner," she looked anxious. "Do you accept his invitation?"

"Uh," Tala panicked. "Yes, I suppose."

Relief spread across her face. "Very good, sir. Mr Kon also request that you dress formally for dinner. I took the liberty of picking out a suitable ensemble, is it to your liking?"

Tala nodded dumbly without really looking at the suit she held up for him and she waited outside whilst he changed. So disorientated was he that knotting his tie became an impossible task and he felt sure that most of the buttons were in the wrong place.

Where was he? In an ornately decorated townhouse, tended to by a maid who dressed him in clothes smarter than he had ever worn, being told to go to a formal dinner with a criminal mastermind? Was he still unconscious and this was some kind of twisted dream?

"This way, sir."

She led him down the stairs and past the front door to a pair of double doors. She halted and turned to him, redoing most of the buttons on his shirt and straightening his tie.

"Now, you will go into that room and sit down in the chair to his left. When you are seated, dinner will be served." She paused and smoothed his collar. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yes. Is this a dream?"

"I'm afraid it isn't, Mr Ivanov." She pinched him and pushed him gently but firmly towards the doors. "I wish you and enjoyable meal and the very best of luck."

He didn't stop to think why he needed luck until he was through the doors and then it was too late.

--

I love all my reviewers because they are The Light At The End Of The Darkness That Is Exams.


	21. The Venerable Mr Lawrence

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Chapter 20 – The Venerable Mr Lawrence

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"So how are you both? Long time, no see?"

"Stop pretending, Rei, and get to the point. There's more to this than meets the eye. If there wasn't, we wouldn't be sitting here, eating this lovely dinner."

"You're right," sighed Rei. "Of course you're right. I'm sorry for treating this like some kind of business deal, but habits are hard to break.'

"Why are we here?"

"I'm not really sure."

"Let me rephrase that: why does Boris want us here?"

"Boris? What does Boris Balkov have to do with anything?"

Tala blinked, confused. "He's the leader of this, isn't he? The higher power above this organisation and countless others?"

"No,' replied Rei. "He merely funds it. Boris is nothing. He wields no power, makes no decisions and has absolutely no purpose whatsoever. We just make him think he does because he pays for most of this out of his own substantial pocket. The scientists that came up with all of this manipulated him into recruiting me, and once the transfer of his funds is completed, he will be gotten rid of. This afternoon, in fact."

"Transfer of funds?"

"Yes. We have connections, and that has enabled us to enlist the help of some Mafia families in extracting the money inconspicuously. That's what Mr Lawrence is coming to discuss in an hours time. But we must pass the time between now and then somehow, and I have talked far too much. How are-"

"Mr Kon?"

Tala recognised the girl as the maid that had taken care of him earlier. She had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and looked hassled.

"Yes, Anya?"

"Sir, I have bad news. Mr Lawrence called, he's on his way and will arrive imminently."

Rei's eyes widened. "George!"

A butler appeared, again out of nowhere. "Yes, sir?"

"George, clear this away and prepare the drawing room. Alert the rest of the staff and fetch me the blue file from the study."

Rei swept away in the blink of an eye and everything turned to quiet chaos as a small army of staff cleared the plates from the table. The maid, Anya, whisked Kai and Tala out of their seats, standing them in a corner as she brushed lint off their clothes.

"Mr Lawrence is very important and very austere, so when you meet him, you must be very polite, or he will begrudge half of the country against you. You must only speak when addressed and do not fidget. When you go into the drawing room, sit on either side of Mr Kon and leave the winged velvet armchair empty – that is where Mr Lawrence will sit. When he enters, stand up and shake his hand. If he lights a cigar, do not cough. When he offers you one, politely decline."

They were steered into the drawing room just as another maid hurried in with a blue file in her hands. She laid it on the coffee table in front of Rei, who was sitting, quite relaxed, in an armchair, mostly obscured by a newspaper bearing the headline:_ 'Moscow cleanup halted by army intervention'_. No sooner than they had both settled in armchairs on either side of him, than a distant knock was heard on the door. A moment later, another maid appeared.

"Mr Lawrence is here, sir."

"Send him in."

Rei lowered his paper nonchalantly as a tall, slightly overweight man walked in.

"Rei! So good to see you! New acquaintances, too!"

The three of them rose politely and had their hands shaken, Rei already chatting amiably.

"It's good to see you, too, Eli. And these are old friends of mine, Kai Hiwatari and Tala Ivanov."

"I think I've met Hiwatari before," rumbled Eli, sitting heavily in a chair. "Remember me?"

"Eli Lawrence?" asked Kai, slightly dumbfounded. "Head of Lawrence Industries? Yes, I remember. I talked to you last year about stock prices."

"Well done," he replied, lighting a cigar. "Intelligent boy, thought so from the start. Cigar?"

They all politely refused.

"Good, good." He puffed plumes of smoke and Kai fought the urge to cough violently. "And you, Ivanov. You have the look of an intelligent man about you. How are you involved in this?"

"We were childhood friends, sir," he replied, with a glance at Rei, who ignored him.

"Wonderful! I do so love strong familial ties. I must invite you to dinner sometime. My nephew would be very interested to meet you, Hiwatari. He's going to take over the business in a few years, you know. Only a little older than you, I think, but lots of talent. Needs a bit of direction, though…"

Whilst Kai nodded politely, he could not help wondering what was the purpose of Mr Lawrence's visit. Rei had said they were going to discuss money, something clearly to do with the blue folder on the table, but neither of them had given any indication of addressing either issue.

"My daughter has had yet another child; a son, unnamed as yet. She keeps hinting she wants to name him after you, Rei. She was so taken with you last time you met. Oh, and speaking of, my mother keeps wanting to meet you again. She is determined to marry you off to one of my nieces. Katie, you know, the horse trainer? Lovely girl…"

Katie Lawrence, trainer of seven consecutive winners, including Larkspur and Hero Worship. Kai had met her at some dinner party or other, and remembered her bright smile. She was investing something in his company – he would never have guessed she and Mr Lawrence were related.

"…and my son, Marco, is doing so well. He told me he sent you an early Christmas gift, did you get it? Yes, his designs are so popular these days, though one can never be sure. Fashion is such a whimsical mistress at best…"

Marco Lawrence, world famous designer and editor of _Russka_ magazine. Kai had appreciated his clothes more than once.

"…you remember Penelope, don't you? My youngest daughter? She's in the papers so often these days and it's essentially the only time I see her nowadays, ever since she moved to America. I heard she has a new beau, though. A very nice boy, part of another _big_ family over there…"

Kai was starting to see a trend. Penelope Lawrence was a hugely popular actress and was getting married to Benjamin Goldstein. Kai was betting that 'big' didn't just mean large, though the Lawrence family was clearly highly extended, but also important and well placed. Perhaps the Goldsteins were even another crime family in the states. He was beginning to see why the Mafia had so much control. They had their hands in every pot and, with so many rich offspring, were able to get whatever they wished. He definitely remembered a Lawrence in a powerful political seat, and another owning a major newspaper. They were _everywhere_.

"Right then! We can't sit around and chat all day. To business."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai saw Tala jerk out of a glazed stupor at these words.

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is, the Fund has received another large charitable donation. My son, Nicolas, talked to the man this morning and he said it was the least he could do. Very generous."

It took Kai a moment to realise what they were talking about, as this was like no other business he had heard discussed before. He realised that they were talking about the transfer of money from Boris' accounts, but were doing so in an inconspicuous and casual manner, understanding that the matter was of utmost secrecy.

"The bad news is that he passed away just a few hours afterwards. Heart failure, you know. Such a shame, he has no relatives either. It's the least we can do to attend his funeral. It's next Monday, I think Nicolas said, in the Church of the Magdalene. You will come, won't you? All of you? Splendid! Alas, I must be off, but first, Alexander said you had something for me?"

The blue folder changed hands.

"Ah, yes! Wonderful. Grace will be very happy, she's wanted this recipe ever since you served it at that party. Oh, and here are some photos and the customary family newsletter. Nina is so adamant that you should be included this year and Mother agrees heartily. You will come next week, won't you? There'll be a meal afterwards where you can meet everyone again, though I suggest you steer clear of Mother, or she might get Anthony to marry you off to Katie in the very restaurant! He's a Bishop now, you know. Very successful…"

Mr Lawrence departed, leaving a strange silence in his wake. True to his word, there was a family newsletter and an abnormal amount of photos in his parcel, with no mysterious sealed envelope like Kai was expecting. He was fascinated by the casual way Rei and Mr Lawrence conducted business, and how Rei seemed to have been swallowed up into the enormous family clan. The enormity was only heightened when the photos were dutifully passed around and he surmised that every member must have been married twice and have had five children to sustain such a tribe. The photos included cuttings of what must have been Penelope Lawrence at some award ceremony and holiday snaps in which it appeared that half of the family had decamped to Egypt all in one go.

Shortly after the uncomfortable silence left by Mr Lawrence, Rei disappeared. Upon consultation of a maid, she admitted that:

"Mr Kon has gone on an outing and we do not expect to see him again in the next few days or so. He has left instruction that you are to be held at the House until such time as he should return in time for the funeral."

True to these words, Kai and Tala were kept quietly against their will in the townhouse for the rest of the week. They did not see Rei again until the day before the funeral, when it became clear that he had not been on a 'leisure' outing. Dirty and tired, Rei disappeared again shortly after he arrived back, and slept until two hours before the service. Kai and Tala both agreed to watch the media for news on the latest political assassination, which would clearly coincide with Rei's mysterious absence.

--

I'm sorry for the long break!!! Forgive me? I wrote such a long chapter this time? Please?

I love all my reviewers because They, The Lights At The End Of The Tunnel, Have Brought Me Though The Hell That Is Exams In A Fit Enough State To Continue Writing. I am also under the impression that They Are Beautiful, Too.


	22. Funeral? Really?

Chapter 21 – Funeral? Really?

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Tala doubted he had ever worn, or would ever wear, something as fine as the suit he wore to the funeral. It, and Kai's too, was handmade and tailored to fit perfectly; a lot of trouble to go to, he thought, for a man that he hated.

But even though the funeral was just a show, and merely a cover for a Mafia family meeting, the ceremony was conducted with utmost respect and decorum. The reception afterwards was something quite different.

A 'wake', Mr Lawrence had called it. The meal afterwards was more like a Christening than a wedding reception, but it was certainly far from the solemn silence of the service. The men's ties were loosened, the women's veils came off and it soon became clear that everyone, save Rei, Kai and Tala, was part of the volumous Lawrence family clan.

Rei was sitting near Mr Lawrence himself, treacherously close to 'Mother', who was clearly the Matriarch of the entire family. He was making familiar chatter, having obviously met most of the table before. Kai and Tala were separated, to both of their dismay, by at least eight people. Kai was seated at the 'young men's' end of the table, dutifully making conversation with the nephew whom Mr Lawrence had mentioned on his visit. Tala, in the middle of the long table, was in women's country, of all ages from the youngest granddaughter to the eldest great-aunt. He had been introduced to Katie, the horse trainer, and discovered she was much more interested in Kai and Rei, although her mother seemed to think otherwise.

The most disconcerting thing was that half of the clan looked at least vaguely familiar. He understood why, halfway through saying Grace, when he realized he'd seen most of them in magazines and newspapers. He had thought that the only occupation missing from the copious gathering was a rock star, until the girl sitting next to him revealed herself to be Layla Lawrence of the New Jazz revolution: _Kleptomania_.

Kai thought he was definitely having a worse time of it. At least Tala, amid a sea of women, could just let them talk around him. Kai, on the other hand, was sitting next to a load of young businessmen who all wanted to talk to him about his grandfather's company. He was quietly relieved when Rei appeared at their end of the table.

"Hi boys," he greeted, flashing a winning smile around. "Having fun? I'm so glad you're all getting along with Kai. Tala's having a great time too, though I'm sorry you two got separated."

"Tala?" asked one of the ubiquitous nephews and husbands. "There's another one? I thought you only had one guest, Rei. Who's the other one?"

"Tala's over there," he replied, pointing down the table. "Between Layla and Marianne. Red hair."

"Oh, him!" came the reply as everyone turned to look. "I thought he was Hannah's new husband, the model."

Kai had a very strong urge to explain that Tala was not a model, but was distracted by the way Rei flicked his hair over his shoulder, and decided that the issue was unimportant.

--

Yes, I know this chapter was ridiculously short, but my muse seems to have eloped somewhere. Probably Bermuda. The REAL reason is that I have been concentrating very hard on a contest entry of mine. A Gundam Wing one, I confess my sins, so it's taken a bit of time to get back in that nice Kai/Rei groove. As a shameless plug to any GW fans out there, it's a 'Moments of Rapture' short story entry. See if you can guess which one is mine.

I love all my reviewers because Let's Face It, They're Just Great.


	23. London's Burning

Right, I'm sorry for my absence, I truly am. To make it up to you, it's going to be all go from now on. This is a result partly of my guilt (how long has it been since I last updated?) and partly because the new series of Torchwood has got me all revved up. Be glad that I diverted all my energy into writing this instead of lots of Gwen-bashing.

**IMPORTANT!** I tried some time ago to write this chapter and it just turned out crap. I felt that you all deserved a little more than crap so I revamped the story. Fast-forward a month-ish into the future and just go with the flow. My previous attempt wasn't going anywhere and I've been playing way too much Lara Croft.

I also apologise if Kai's starting to turn into a bit of a girl. It's just that he pales in comparison with Rei's greatness.

-

**Chapter 22** – London's Burning

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Kai clung with renewed vigour to his niche in the radio tower as a gust of wind threatened to dislodge him from his perch. He realised belatedly that he was securely attached to the tower via a cable strong enough to take twice his weight, but then he also remembered that Rei had attached him in the first place and he didn't really know if he trusted Rei or not. Every time the wind blew particularly strongly, his stomach said, very loudly, not.

But he must have trusted Rei at some point, to have ended up here. The view was spectacular, he supposed, the lights of London spread out like a rug beneath him and the crescent moon above. He supposed that the relative quiet wouldn't last long either. Sometime in the next minute, Rei would finish jamming the radio-waves and send the starting signal. Then, the mission would commence.

Tala was down there somewhere. He was the whole reason Kai was in this mess. Well, no he wasn't. He just liked to think it was. He knew for a fact that, thanks to the laptop balanced on his crossed legs, Tala was standing on top of the Houses of Parliament, waiting for the signal.

Kai wasn't entirely sure of what his job was. He knew that he was supposed to coordinate the attack from his vantage point should anything untoward happen, but he didn't really see how he was supposed to manage the entire task force with only an encrypted radio and a GPS system that white-ed out every minute or so.

Rei's voice crackled into his headset.

"Signal set. Igniting in four, three, two, one."

Something exploded far away. The fireworks mixed in with the explosives sent golden starbursts arcing into the sky, marking out the site.

Kai listened to the resulting minutes of comm chatter with no actual job to do. He wouldn't be needed until someone called his code. Until then, he watched as the oil-slicked river was set alight, an orange snake though the city, and tried not to fall off his perch.

"Eye In The Sky, this is Red-7, do you copy? Repeat, do you copy?"

Damn. His code. It could only last so long. He fumbled for his earpiece.

"I copy, Red-7."

"The Army is here. Repeat, the Army is here. They are organised. Their communications are not jammed. Over."

Shit.

"Rodger that, Red-7. Initiate Plan D. Over."

"Copy that. Over and Out."

Plan D – Bug Out And Torch Anything You Can On Your Way. His laptop screen was already showing the signs that the order had gone out. The flashing dots that showed each soldiers' positions were beginning to move outwards. Some would make for the docks and try to get a boat out. The rest would retreat into the countryside and find a different way. If they didn't arrive at the rendezvous point, a farmhouse outside Milan, in a month's time, they would be considered dead. With a jolt, he realised that meant him too.

But before he could even think about how he was going to get down from the tower, let alone all the way to Milan, a familiar voice crackled onto his headset.

"Kai? Kai, do you read me?"

"I read you, Tala," he replied, masking the enormous sense of relief he felt. "Problem?"

"Me? No. You? Yes. I can see the front line of riot shields and they're heading straight for you. Just wait there. I'll come and get you and then we'll get out of here together. Copy?"

"Copy that."

The radio descended into static after that, cutting off any attempts at contacting Tala again. Although he was very grateful to have Tala coming to get him, he couldn't help feel exposed and vulnerable. Trapped at the top of a radio tower above Leicester Square, he could see the Army moving closer, a ring of dull metal and smoking flares. They were ringing him in and if Tala didn't get there soon, they would overrun his position.

As if Fate had heard him, a rocket from the nearest tank screamed towards him and hit a building across the street. It burst into flame, showering Kai with sparks. Forget Tala, he had to move.

He shut the laptop and shoved it in his bag, unhooking himself from his seat on the radio tower. He knew his best bet would be to head for the docks. If he couldn't get a boat out, he could try for a plane out of City Airport.

He slid down from the tower using the leftover wire in an ungainly scramble and made it to street-level down the fire-escape. It was more dangerous down here, but he lacked the mechanic enhancement to run across the rooftops, for which he was now kicking himself. He ran down deserted streets, heading east, tuning his earpiece to the right frequency, hoping that the receiver was still alive.

"Red-4, come in, this is Eye In The Sky. Come in, Red-4. Over."

"I copy, Eye In The Sky. Over."

Thank God.

"I require extraction, Red-4. What's your position? Over."

"Position coordinates 44-83-10. Thames Barrier. Over."

The Thames Barrier. Perfect. Just metres away from City Airport.

"Can you hold your position until I get there? ETA impossible to pin down. Over."

"Affirmative, Eye In The Sky. Awaiting your arrival. Over and Out."

He wasn't quite sure how he'd get past the Army blockade, with only a vague idea where City Airport was, but the idea of Tala on his way was a slight comfort. Slight, however, because Kai knew that, even though he was cybernetically implanted, Tala wasn't up to much. Tala was designed to withstand shockwaves, falls off buildings and even nuclear war, but he wasn't built for athleticism like Rei. He knew that Tala wouldn't be able to pull off feats that Rei would find easy, like jumping over buildings whilst carrying Kai. He tried to put that thought out of his mind, but it was difficult when the sounds of gunfire drew closer with each minute.

He made it as far as Tower Bridge before he hit trouble. The Army were just streets away and crowds of screaming people were trying to cross the river over the bridge, which was starting to collapse. Glad that he didn't have to cross the burning river, he kept to the shadows and hoped that Tala would make contact soon.

He did. Kai's radio, almost submerged in static and garbled orders from the British Army and clearly on the end of its tether, came to life with a burst of white noise.

"Kai, where are you?" Tala sounded desperate and frightened, like he'd been calling for some time.

"I'm just past Tower Bridge," he replied, hiding in a doorway as a flash of light passed over him. The Army were closer than he thought. "Within sight of the river."

"Thank God. I thought you might be dead when I couldn't find you. Just stay there. Hide. I'm coming to get you, Kai. Just stay put. Everything's gonna be-"

There was the muffled sound of an explosion and another wave of static. Kai clutched the radio with a grip that was painfully tight.

"Tala? Tala!" Kai could hear things under the static: a voice through a megaphone, gunfire and heavy, ragged breathing. "Come in, Tala!"

Another explosion, more gunfire, more shouts, some screams, then white noise.

Kai held onto the radio with trembling fingers, trying to get a hold on himself. He had to get to City Airport. He had to get out of London and find a way to Milan. For Tala, he would.

After waiting for the sound of a helicopter's rotor blades to pass overhead, he left the sheltering doorway and ran down the street, his heart thumping in his chest. Pausing at a crossroads, he looked east and west and saw military forces on both sides. Both, he saw to his dismay, were backed up by tank regiments. The road to the north was still clear; maybe he could try and sneak around them. But going there meant that he had to cross the deserted road, right in front of the Army. They would shoot him for sure, but he had no choice. He'd just have to run for it.

He left his cover behind a telephone box and sprinted across the road, praying they wouldn't see him. Time seemed to slow down and the road seemed to lengthen before him. He couldn't breathe, his vision was clouding. He thought he might be drowning.

More than halfway across, his luck ran out. There was a crack of gunfire and the muffled _whump_ of a mortar being fired. The mortar missed, but hit metres away and sent out a shockwave that knocked Kai off his feet. The gunfire didn't, and hit him in the shoulder. He felt bone shatter as he hit the tarmac.

At once, searchlights blinked at him from behind the military barricades, blinding him. It was over. His arm was broken and he couldn't run any more. He certainly couldn't make it to Italy.

"Stay where you are," commanded a voice from a loudspeaker. "Put your gun down and your hands where we can see them."

Kai didn't have a gun in his hand at the moment and he highly doubted whether he could raise his right hand.

"This is your last warning. Put your hands where we can see them."

Gunfire drowned out the end of the last statement. He was vaguely aware of panicked shouts from the surrounding soldiers and several smoke bombs going off around him, but he was on the verge of unconsciousness and he didn't really care. He wondered idly when they were going to shoot him.

Then, emerging through the smoke like a vengeful god, Rei appeared. In his pain-fogged stupor, he looked like something out of Kai's worst nightmares. His hair, a mane of jet black fire, and his eyes that shone brighter than the flames, brighter than the searchlights that flicked across the smoke, would have made a lesser man cower. Instead, Rei's face broke into a grin of relief as he saw Kai, then he gathered him up in his arms and jumped to the nearest rooftop before the smoke could clear.

"...Red-4...Thames Barrier..." Kai murmured, nearly passing out.

"I know," replied Rei, jumping over another roadblock. "I heard every word, but my microphone got smashed."

"Tala?" he whispered.

Rei either didn't hear him over the explosions and shouting, or he pretended not to. Kai clutched tighter and tried to stay conscious, but the way Rei leapt across the rooftops jarred his shoulder and the pain kept pulling him under. He didn't really remember much of the rest of the journey. He heard Rei contact Red-4 and order that the plane be ready to fly immediately, but it was muffled and distorted. If they ran into the Army again, he wasn't awake to see it.

He woke up in the seat of a commercial aeroplane, feeling slightly fogging with painkillers, his arm in a sling. Rei was sitting next to him, looking out of the window, not having noticed he was awake.

Rei really was beautiful, his traitorous mind supplied. He tried to squash those thoughts with feelings of guilt, anger and distrust, but to no avail. Rei had always been stunning. Tall and exotic, with eyes like suns, he'd had Kai's attention from day one. Now, he was exactly the kind of person Kai would go for, what with his hair unbound and the new, powerful way he held himself. Except that Rei didn't look very powerful at the moment. He was curled in the seat, taut as a bowstring.

Kai moved slightly and Rei's head whipped around at the almost indiscernible noise. He looked almost afraid. Kai just stared at him and could only whisper:

"Tala?"

Rei could only stare back, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip.

-

I love all my reviewers because they are More Wonderful Than Doughnuts, Summer Afternoons And Frisbee All Put Together.


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